MF 230 forwarder

[badpenny]

   Am going to look at a MF 230 forwarder this afternoon; xtra batteries for digicam,grease gun,coveralls,inspection mirror,grease rags,small tool box are in the van as we speak. Any body know anything about this particular forwarder? Price is reasonable, and can be negotiated. The seller claims it runs, all boom and grapple functions work, has a perkins 3 cyl diesel. I'm sure the center pin is well worn, and the tires will be "round and black". Any comments as to things to look for will be appreciated, pics later this pm.

[badpenny]

   My bad, it's a 203, not a 230, and has been well used in its lifetime. Took a bunch of pics, need to get them in an album so I can put them in a post
     
   
   

[Corley5]

Massey Ferguson 203 Treevor  8)  It's made by Gafner and is really an Iron Mule.  It used the MF 203 industrial tractor as the power unit.  Yours has a different loader than the one I ran and others I've seen


This one was for sale in Da UP a couple years ago

[Corley5]

Looks like somebody has replaced the original loader with the present one.

[AlexHart]

That looks like a rough old girl doesn't it?   

Are they asking much money for it? 

[badpenny]

He is asking $3000, and I countered with $1500, more if it actually runs. The owner is currently in the process of moving, and setting up a new mobile home, so it may be a while before he gets it running. I went back on Wed , it fired and ran for about 3 seconds, I think all it needs is the fuel system bled to be running.A new fuel filter would help, too.  This will be used for some personal fire wood, 10-15 cords a year, not going to try to make a living with it. The blade is there, along with the belly pan, but the blade mounting bracket is broken. Delivery is included in the price, about 40 miles one way.

[AlexHart]

The problem with something like that in my experience is that basically sitting all the time doesn't do machinery any good.  You'll likely be chasing things like batteries, wire connections, cylinder packings, exhaust rusting and letting rainwater into the engine and so on every time you go to use it. 

Plus when you do need the occasional part they cost a lot of money.  I recently had to buy a clutch for my 1970ish 440 skidder and the freaking thing was 750 dollars.... just as an example.  I'd say if you had anything else that could get your firewood out you'd probably be better off in the long haul to let that thing go.     

[Ironwood]

On the filp side of Alex's comment. If you could get it cheap the LOADER is likely worth the $1500, and who could not use a nice little diesel power unit for something. Odd looking thing, like the motor is JUST waiting to be ripped off by  a tree or rock.

Ironwood (admitted rust/arn aholic)

[badpenny]

  AlexHart, I appreciate the input. Been waiting since Wed for a call that it is running, nada. If he was serious about selling, it should have been running before it was listed,IMHO. I have other means of firewood "getup", this machine would speed up the operation some. Maybe he will call next week, meanwhile, I'm dropping trees for next winters wood each morning.
   Ironwood, the blade is not mounted, bracket for it and the cylinders are there, and will be put back on before use by me, if I buy it, along with the belly pan. Will take some welding rod and time, thats all

[badpenny]

   Bernard, the owner, called this AM, the 203 is running, so I drove out to check out all the functions.  Drives ok, boom lifts, lowers fine, grapple opens/closes/rotates fine, boom rotation is good. Center pin has some slop, to be expected in a machine this old. My welding guy, Jonnie B,  will be back from Alaska this fall, and can do the cutting/welding to put in a new pin and bushing, and weld the blade/bracket back on. All said and done, will be delivered Tues or Wed this week for $2800.  8) 8) 8) 8)  With my mumbleth birthday in a couple of weeks, this will be a good present from me to me.

[Corley5]

Easiest way to get the pins out are to cut them above and below where the two sections come together with a sawzall and then pull the two halves of the machine apart and drive them out.  Save the pieces to take to the machine shop that'll turn the new pins for you.  There are bearings not bushings in the pins.  With luck it isn't worn so bad that new bearings won't seat.  When you're ready I have the Timken #s that my five thousand takes.  If you replace one pin you might as well do them both.  There are two one for articulation and one for oscillation.  We replaced the articulation pin in ours and didn't do the other one.  It was 12 degrees at the time and now we need to do the other pin.  Pay special attention to where the blade bolts on to the bell housing underneath.  There are four bolts there that need to be kept tight.  They WILL loosen up and could result in you having to drill and tap the holes out to larger size.  Congrats on the old iron  8) They're a good old machine

[semologger]

Wow corley does sound like you have worked on one before.

[badpenny]

   Corley5, thanks for the heads up. This machine has a horizontal pin about 12 or 14" long for oscillation, head to the front, and a vertical pin for articulation, head up. Osc pin is on "tractor" end of things, has a 2" thick collar, and about 3" of forward movement before being stopped by the rotating mast. I can see welds on both sides where it has been cut apart once before. Art pin can be driven out from bottom, looks to have very little movement, if any. I'll have to find the pics I took of this joint, and post them. It's the horizontal osc pin that is worn the most.
   You can see the wear in this poor pic, the pin comes out left to right as far as I can see.

[twobears]

i have a question if they used a farm tractor as a base to build these how do they modify it to hookup the driveshaft for the rear axle?? and is the rear axle a farm tractor axle??
BADPENNY:good luck with the old girl.

[badpenny]

   Just a WAG here, seems to be a 203 industrial used for conversion, course I could be way out in left field with this guess. Drive shaft for the rear axle looks like it comes out where the pto would be on an ag tractor. The axle under the rear looks the same as the one on the power unit end.  Good news, it was delivered this evening. 8) ;D ;D 8) Would have been sooner today, but I spent 8 hrs tailing behind a molder, piling 1"x 6" 16' v joint paneling, and wanted to be home to pay for it.
   Looks like something was smacked pretty good with the blade, will take some creative reconstruction and a couple of new cylinders to get it mounted and working again. Corley5, I found the 4 bolts you mentioned, one is sheared off, the other 3 holes are ok. Left hand bit time, I guess. Nothing that time and money can't fix. The fun begins

[timberfaller390]

so haws the forwarder coming? I have a couple of old MF 135's setting here on the place that after reading this I am seriously thinking of  building a skidder out of.

[badpenny]

   I have used it over the summer to haul 7-8 loads of fire wood in from a fence line clearing project. Still do not have the blade on it, and probably won't need it, after all. Was real jerky on the controls to start, but things have smoothed out with time and practice